Ben Howard releases his new album, I Forget Where We Were

I Forget Where We Were was produced by Ben’s drummer Chris Bond at Start Point Farm Studios in Devon, and follows the huge success of his million selling, Mercury Prize nominated debut album, Every Kingdom, in 2011. In 2013, Ben capped a fantastic two years, by picking up two Brit Awards for British Breakthrough and British Solo Male Artist. A dark, dramatic return, I Forget Where We Were was recorded almost completely live, and its rawness matches the emotion of Ben’s words and vocal. It’s a bold, uncompromising listen and an incredibly assured body of work by one of Britain’s most successful young musicians of recent years.

‘I Forget Where We Were’ Tracklisting: 
Small Things
Rivers In Your Mouth
I Forget Where We Were
In Dreams
She Treats Me Well
Time Is Dancing
Evergreen
End Of The Affair
Conrad
All Is Now Harmed

Since the announcement of Ben’s new record, with the sprawling eight minute introduction of End of the Affair, both parts of his upcoming UK and Irish tour sold-out in under two hours.

Ben Howard Live UK & Ireland:
3rd December – The Apollo, Manchester SOLD OUT
4th December – Civic, Wolverhampton SOLD OUT
6th December – Usher Hall, Edinburgh SOLD OUT
7th December – Olympia, Dublin SOLD OUT
10th December – Brixton Academy, London SOLD OUT
11th December – Brixton Academy, London SOLD OUT

www.benhowardmusic.co.uk

Ben Howard releases his new album, I Forget Where We Were, on the 20th October 2014 through Island Records. It is preceded with a single of the same title on the 13th October. 

I Forrget Where We Were - Ben Howard available on iTunes
End of the Affair - I Forget Where We Were available on iTunes

HOLD IT DOWN PRESENT CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB HALLOWEEN SPECIAL AT THE FACTORY, BARNSTAPLE

Hold it Down are thrilled to bring Craig Charles back to the South West for a Halloween special at The Factory in Barnstaple. The Craig Charles Funk and Soul show is the longest running show on BBC6 Music and has the highest audience share of any programme on the network. His club DJ shows bring you the same eclectic mix of songs covering Northern Soul, Funk, Soul and modern remixes

CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
THE FACTORY FRIDAY 31ST OCTOBER

Support from

• The Blue Bottles (Live)
• Matt Anderson
• Fajita kunk 

Doors open at 8pm
Advance tickets: from £12.50 (subject to booking fee)
Physical tickets available from: Beats Workin, 6 Queens Street, Barnstaple.
Online tickets available from:

 www.thefactoryvenue.co.uk

Over 18s event

Charity worker plugs gap for butterflies

One of the commonest complaints heard in the 21st century world of work is that people now have to take their work home with them. But a team member from a leading Devon environmental charity has now taken this modern phenomenon to a new level. Kate Langdon has spent the last 8 years working for Devon Wildlife Trust - the charity which looks after 50 nature reserves and which works for the county's precious wildlife and landscapes. Kate is part of Devon Wildlife Trust's Working Wetlands team. Part of the team's work has been restoring wildlife flower meadows in north-west Devon in a project supported by Biffa Award's Flagship Scheme, a multi-million pound fund which awards grants to community and environmental projects across the UK. One species of plant they've been especially keen to re-establish is the Devil's-bit scabious. This beautiful wildflower plays a key role in supporting other local wildlife and is especially important because it's the food source of the internationally endangered marsh fritillary butterfly. However, the team's attempts in the past to re-introduce the flower using commercially bought seed have met with disappointing results - out of 4,000 seeds used last year only four germinated! This predicament led Kate and her partner Simon Tomasso, who also works for The Trust, to pioneer a different approach taking it upon themselves to raise the delicate plants in their own back yard using seed gathered locally from DWT's Volehouse Moor and Ashmoor nature reserves. That way Kate could make sure they received the just right levels of water, sunlight and tender loving care. However, as Kate explained, bringing her work home with her did mean the baby plants came to dominate the family's garden and their lives: 'It has felt like a real sense of achievement getting these plants to germinate in such large quantities, and it will be very exciting to see if they have all taken to their new homes, the results of which we will see next year. I have enjoyed watching the plants grow, but I can't say I will miss watering and tending to them like I have all summer!' Kate's efforts were boosted by help from nearby Petroc College in Barnstaple. Students from the college also grew plugs and together the home-grown approach has met with success. At one stage in the summer Kate's garden contained 1,300 plug plants and now the vast majority have grown into healthy wildflowers. This autumn DWT staff set about the back breaking job of hand planting each of the plugs into two sites near Devon Wildlife Trust's Mambury and Volehouse Moor nature reserves, both in north-west Devon. The sites were chosen for their strategic importance as places that represent gaps between existing populations of marsh fritillary butterflies. Kate and the team's hope is that by next summer the plants will have grown and the butterflies will be enjoying them. 

 'Devil's-bit scabious plant plugs dominated Devon Wildlife Trust's Kate Langdon's garden 

and home life'  - Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

 'Devon Wildlife Trust staff begin the back breaking task of planting out the plugs by hand' 

Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)